A Short Musical Break
by AngelPines
Summary: Who knew Nicky loved the classics? A fun few one-shots non-canon to Into the Inkwell Isles.
1. Chapter 1

****Disclaimer: So... the sequel to my Cuphead story has not been forgotten, okay? Don't forget that. I just have tons of homework, midterms, and revisions on other stories to get done. At the latest, it will begin next year in... spring, maybe? I plan on revising the chapters too; adding more detail, changing a few things, all before it actually begins.****

 **While you wait, I had this stupid idea floating around in my head for a while. It's not canon, for the most part. That could change depending on the sequel. If it does, I'll let you know. Except for one, inexcusable thing...**

 ** **Nicky... has an odd interest in old music.****

 ** **Enjoy the show, and I don't own It's Not Unusual!****

"Speaking"

 _ _Thinking__

* * *

Cuphead and Mugman pressed their heads against the door of the room, listening to the sounds on the other side. It was harder than it looked, since their heads weren't exactly meant to do that, but it was still a good effort. They could have opened the door too, but wouldn't that be rude?

"What are you two finks up too?" They looked away from the door, staring up at the manager of the casino. The Devil himself was walking their way at the end of the hall, just as annoyed and confused as King Dice was at the fact they had appeared in the building. Again.

It wasn't too uncommon. Whenever the sarcastic and blunt young woman made an appearance in Inkwell, she'd spend her nights in the guest room given to her on her first trip. Even with the obvious hatred between the boss and her, King ended up playing a mediator. Harder than it seemed, since he had punched the demon in the face to the point he was out like a light. The only reason he still survived that mess after failing to stop them was because of his dedication to his work. She'd be allowed to stay too, if she occasionally helped out with serving drinks. No contract required, and it was all her idea. As for Nicky herself, it just so happened to be her door they were now all gathered in front of.

"Listening," Cuphead replied, as if that answered everything. Well... it sort of was. He had no idea what she was doing, but whatever it was, it sounded... loud. With... a trumpet. King Dice raised a brow, unimpressed with the answer, and put his head against the wood. True to the older brother's word, he could hear noise on the other side. What it was coming from though, it was hard to tell. Last time he saw her, she didn't have any record player.

The Devil rolled his eyes, and reached for the doorknob. "Well, whatever the girl's doin', there's nothin' in this casino that gets past me." Mugman, the only one who seemed to not want to see what was going on, went to pull the demon's hand away, only for Cuphead to snatch at his wrist to pull him back. Bad idea there, for his little brother. They were already testing the man's patience just by being there.

The door cracked open just enough for them all to see inside, and what they did see was, um... how were they supposed to react to this?

A fast-paced song, nothing like they would hear on the island greeted them from a small device laying on a pillow. However, the familiar sound of trumpet was there to show a faint trace to their era. But what really caught their attention was the frizzy raven haired woman in the middle of the room, back turned to the door, with a candlestick in her hand... lip syncing into it.

"But when I see you hanging about with anyone. It's not unusual to see me cry... I wanna die." She mimicked jazz hands at the end line, before throwing the object to the bed where her bag was. As fast as the switch happened, her arms began to swing behind her to the beat with her hands, snapping her fingers with each rapid movement. Her hips also followed suit, while occasionally, she slid to the left and right. "It's not unusual to go out at any time. But when I see you out and about, it's such a crime."

No one really knew how to react to that. Seriously, for the second time since he met her, King was... confused. "... what?"

"I am not sure what to make of this," Mugman stated, earning a small nod from Cuphead. Each of the four stared, with his mouth hanging open a little, the Devil's face twisted in confusion at how this was what was happening without his knowledge, while King and Mugman had the common sense to actually still speak.

However, either the song was coming to its peak, or she sensed eyes on her, Nicky twirled around with a small drop in the beat. Her brown eyes widened in embarrassed horror, locking onto the sight of her unexpected audience. "Aah! What are you-you shouldn't-out!" She snatched the candle off the bed, throwing it at them. The wax stick bounced off Cuphead's straw, earning an indignant and startled shout as the red and white object spun around the brim.

"Hey! What was that f-?" He didn't have time to finish, and neither was any of the others able to speak up. The human had already managed to shove them the few inches back to close the door as fast as she could.

"Never interrupt me during my music!" Her voice rang out on the other side, followed by a loud thump against the door. No doubt, it was a pillow or her bag being thrown at it. "You never saw anything, you hear me!"

There was silence after that, and the man, demon, and boys stared at the closed room. "... we should have just listened," Mugman said, voicing what he hoped was what they were all thinking.

"I'm goin' back to count today's expenses." The Devil trudged off back to his side of the casino, while King looked down at Cuphead. __Well, that tune's gonna be stuck in my head.__

"Did you know she did that?"

The red brother, blinked for a moment, and slowly turned to look up. His face was slack, and he had to wonder; was the man being serious right now? "Gee, what do you think?"

* * *

 ** **No clue where this idea came from, but I found it too good to pass up.****

 ** **I won't forget this fandom. The Cuphead sequel is not forgotten, and it can start sooner if possible. Also, I had an idea for a second chapter too, if anyone's interested.****

 ** **Until next time!****

 ** **Angel****


	2. Chapter 2

****Disclaimer: I, uh... had another random idea.****

 ** **JustinTheSpider: How is it unique?****

 ** **Luckygurrl12: The Cuphead sequel is... waiting. I have to edit it first, and then I need to edit Bendy. Thankfully, that story just recently finished. The sequel could start either late this year, or quite possibly early next year. I'm not sure, but I'll keep things posted.****

 ** **RainbowCelin: Yeah, but it's also quite funny.****

 ** **Missmilkiepink2: I'm obsessed with the dance from Fresh Prince, and after watching an animatic on YouTube about Tom Jones... this happened.****

 ** **Missmilkiepink: I'm thinking of dialing back a little on King's personality in my editing. Got a little too inspired from my time writing Bill Cipher. As for Cuphead, I related back to Dipper. Loves adventure, but doesn't like people hiding stuff from him.****

 ** **FanIfVariks: Well, here you go!****

"Speaking"

 _ _Thinking__

* * *

Nicky loved old music. That was a hardcore fact, and one she would never deny. Out of a lot of things people said about her, that was one of them. The others being how much she hated being mocked for her last name, until... well, she had her two friends to thank for that.

"She's got high heel shoes and an alligator hat..." an amused smile made its way to her face as she mumbled the words, and took pause to reach over to the left to grab her pencil sharpener. The restaurant of the casino wasn't overly busy, and the lone table in the corner she had claimed allowed her to work on several papers without interruption. However, she had been done for at least half an hour. The boys hadn't shown up yet with their copy of the book, so until then, she had to play the waiting game.

Which, to her entertainment, was what led to her doodling away on a scrap piece of loose leaf, singing under her breath.

"Found her, Dice." Nicky snapped her head up, finding the casino owner and manager waltzing up to her. The Devil had a slight sneer, while King kept his usual sly grin. The same he always wore whenever he was around her. __Oh, ho. This is going to go great,__ she thought, making sure her own expression didn't brighten up too considerably. No way did she want to alert either that she had something up her sleeve. __Well, it's more right in front of my nose, but the idea's still the same.__

"You know, I don't always cause trouble whenever I'm around here. I'm just waiting for my lift." Black hair bounced at the sudden movement as she bent down to grab her messenger bag, while Nicky began to pack up her binders. The lone piece of paper still rested there, now flipped over to cover its contents. "Is there a reason for this?"

The boss was the one to speak, and the question almost made her laugh. "What was that thing you were doin' several days ago?"

"I take it you meant the, uh... the dancing thing." Nicky blushed a little, flashing back to the unexpected audience she had whilst dancing to It's Not Unusual. __They ruined my Tom Jones moment.__ Ruined it, perhaps, but she would never properly perfect the dance move. "I enjoy classics, and that was one of them. In fact, I know a few songs around your guys' time era. Cab Calloway being one of them." The Devil and King exchanged a look, obviously not aware of who the singer was. _Right._ She had mentioned the name before, but she never explained to King. "He was a jazz singer, known mostly for his scat singing."

"Jazz, huh?" King seemed intrigued by the idea, and Nicky nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. In fact, I can see a bit of a resemblance between you and him. Of course, mind you, the guy didn't have a die for a head." She brought the paper to her chest, and allowed the excited smile to show itself. "Anyway. I drew something for you, boss."

The demon, naturally, did not appear as ecstatic as the human girl. "You drew me somethin'?" Nicky nodded, and flipped it around. The Devil's eyes widened, and King himself looked close to having a laughing fit. A rough sketch of the ruler himself in a short strapless dress, skinny high heeled shoes, and massive bracelets, earrings, and pearl necklace. Gigantic black sunglasses covered his eyes, with the final touch being a cartoony alligator hat with his horns coming out on either side and the animal's eyeballs going off in different directions. "What the he-?"

"It's the Devil in a blue dress!" King finally broke down, supporting himself with one hand on the table as he laughed. The room's temperature spiked in the small corner, and just as she planned, snatched her bag over her shoulder and ditched the paper as she bolted out of the restaurant. "Devil with a blue dress on!"

"Nicky? What are you doing-whoa!" She grabbed at Cuphead's hand, dragging him back out of the casino just as they stepped into the main hall. Mugman looked from the building to them, and hurried to chase after. "What'd you do?"

"Ticked off the Devil. Time to go hide out for a couple hours, guys."

* * *

So, some of the furniture caught fire, but other than that, he hadn't gotten as upset as King thought. Then again, compared to a lot of stuff doll had pulled in the past, this was pretty minor. Not to mention that only the two of them had seen the picture. __Devil in a blue dress, huh? 'nother one of her songs, I bet.__

He reached under the flipped table she was previously sitting, and slid the single sheet out from underneath. It was burnt along the edges, and smelled of sulfur, but other than that the drawing was unharmed. __Gal certainly got a good likeness in it.__ Green eyes checked the room, before carefully folding it into a small square and depositing it into the pocket of his coat. He patted the outside, and without a word, walked towards the exit. That drawin'... that was going to earn him chuckles for the next couple of weeks.

* * *

 ** **I had to. This idea stuck, and I wanted to add a continuation.****

 ** **If it happens, and I think of another chapter to add, I'll definitely do it. It's a good way to keep things updated on the progress. It will be a while, but the sequel is going to happen.****

 ** **Until next time!****

 ** **Angel****


End file.
